5 Professional Benefits to Coworking

If you’re a freelancer, small business owner, or remote worker, it’s hard to miss the growing excitement around coworking spaces. That excitement makes a lot of sense to those of us who’ve experienced the benefits of coworking. But if you’ve never tried a shared workspace for yourself, you might be wondering: what’s made these spaces so incredibly popular?

No one’s more qualified to answer that question than the community at Office Evolution®. After all, we’ve been on the forefront of the shared workspace movement for years. Our local coworking spaces are the perfect example of how effective shared workspaces can be, offering a space where independent consultants, freelance workers, tech start-ups, and other professionals enjoy thriving careers.

How Coworking Empowers Professionals

The shared workspace movement started nearly fifteen years ago, but it’s exploded in the past few years. This sudden rise in demand can be traced to the September 2015 issue of the Harvard Business Review. In that issue, researchers from the University of Michigan revealed that professionals who rent a coworking space report thriving at “unheard of” levels compared to workers in typical offices. These findings shocked the business world — except for workers who’d already experienced shared work environment.

Here are five reasons why these results make perfect sense to those of us who work in coworking communities.

1. Community Environment. In a follow up survey performed by the HBR article’s authors, they made another surprising discovery: professionals in shared workplaces reported a stronger sense of belonging and community compared to workers in typical offices. Workers said they ran into less internal politics, felt more comfortable being themselves, and benefited from fluid workspaces, which encourage new conversations and relationships.
2. Professional Diversity. Shared workplaces don’t just foster a sense of community, they also bring professionals from different industries and backgrounds together in one space. Workers find themselves surrounded by networking opportunities and fresh perspectives. Professional circles expand. New ideas flourish. Community members provide one another with mutual support. This creates a vibrant, dynamic, and collaborative workspace.
3. Focus and Productivity. Coworking spaces like Office Evolution are perfect for blocking out distractions and optimizing your productivity. That’s partly due to the space itself, but it’s also partly due to the freedom you gain in your work-life. A shared workplace means you can work according to the pace, schedule, and style that suits you best.
4. Leading Change. The shared workplace movement started with a clear mission to change the way people work. These spaces attract forward-thinking professionals, people who are drawn to innovation and advancement. Workers in shared workplaces feed off of the momentum and energy this creates, helping them reach new heights in their own work-lives.
5. Amenities and Resources. At Office Evolution, community members have access to perks, services, and equipment that no home office or corner coffee shop can match. A shared workspace membership will give you access to printing, photocopying and fax equipment, our community kitchen, free coffee and tea, onsite support, and discounts on other types of work space for rent.

Discover the benefits of coworking at Office Evolution. Learn more about our shared workspace memberships and enjoy one free hour of coworking. Find an Office Evolution location near you.